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4 weeks means 28 days, nearly a month. Is this time short or long? To go on holiday, maybe its a nice good long holiday. To work, it could be short to finish a project or too long to wait for a next payment. For me, it was both. I dont feel I had enough holiday as I was working as a volunteer, then, if I think back what I have done at both the children's house and for a WE, it was huge. I have quick gone back my diary and see all the first pictures. I remember every pictures. Of course, because I have seen in several times while I was preparing the diary to update. But its not just because of that. I just remember because I cant forget. I will never forget what happened in this 4 weeks. I felt alive. I really felt an energy in me. Another thing is, for some reason, I felt South Africa very familiar.

This afternoon, it was only me and one more volunteer girl at Agape. Others decided to stay at the volunteer house to pack and sort everything out then chill out. As it was my last day, I wanted to stay as long as I can. I found my girl and told her, I brought a laptop so I can show her photos. She wanted to see the one I took in England so I showed her the picture of my best friend's wedding, Cambridge, my place, and so on. Actually, another girl wanted to see it too and she was questioning lots of things, then, my girl, she has fall a sleep in my shoulder. The other girl wanted to play a game on my computer so I let her play that & I was just relaxing with my girl in my arm. It was lovely afternoon. We were sitting on the couch and I was holding her head, chatting with other girl sometime, looking around the room, wind breezed... I was just so comfortable. Then... there was a time to go.

I cant believe this day has already come – the last day in Agape... I still remember the first day and the first week, it went really slow, I felt like it was a month. Then, from the second week, it was a second. So quick for every day and the WE. It just... gone.

In Agape, we do a Birthday party in the end of the month for everybody who born in that month. This time, there were 5 kids and Agape manager's BD! We asked the kids what they want for their BD and bought a present for each child. Of course, we brought a cake as well! On the top of that, we wanted to make a party more excited so we have planned a talent show too. The other volunteers did it last month and kids loved it, they said. We asked the one of the older girl to make a poster, cut a paper in a star shape to get children to paint/draw for a competition, and told all the kids the day of the talent show! I have made a paper decoration on the wall with kids using some craft stuffs too.

Today, two volunteer girls introduced the trampoline to Agape. Its about 3m wide and 1m from the ground. I was keep saying that it should be used with a net least as its more dangerous to fall onto the ground than fall onto the trampoline in a same position but they never take my word so its without a net. As a children's nurse, we always say lets ban this thing but the company needs a proof that it is dangerous enough (basically, need more child to die before, I guess?) so its still on the market. Agape ground is not very well maintained, thats another problem. Today, the one of the girl cut her feed very deeply with something on the ground (could be a stone, glass, metals, I couldnt find which one as there were so many things on the ground). It didnt bleed that badly but doesnt seems like it gonna close naturally as its about 2cm long and 4-5mm deep. I wanted to take her to a doctor but there were no car.

Today, three of us woke up early in the morning to go to the white school. We wanted to visit all the schools that children are attending then we had a call from the white school that one of the teacher wanted to talk to us. Actually she was a school nurse, she has concern with some of our kids. Basically, they are not doing very well. In here, the school curriculum are different and the white schools are more advanced than the Indian schools. Those who are in the white school at the moment had a very good report and stepped up the school from the Indian school but now lots of them are struggling and always a big catching up each year. More over, they do have an attitude and a behavioural problems. Some come to school to sleep, some has a bad mode swing, some are too quiet and hardly talk to the teacher, and one boy are definitely suffering from bullies but teacher cant discover where it comes from as he doesnt want to talk to them.

Its supposed to be still a school day but lots of kids are not going to school. Actually, high school kids were all at school and most of the middle school kids were not. Well, its Easter!


Because of that, we noticed that how older ones are taking care of a little ones these days. As themselves hasnt got a parents, they look after a little ones very well. They feed them, change a nappy, play with them, make sure the little ones all have a lunch before themselves eat anything... One of the volunteer actually saw that older one put the left over of the little ones onto one plate and ate it too...They are one big family and I think its great that older ones take care about the babies (as long as aunties are around and not too much responsibility). I think we are missing those in our country. Family are not a one big unit, specially when the child grow older.

Today, it was lovely sunny weather (as we dreamed!) and it was a bank holiday (Human Rights day on 21st March). All the school kids were at Agape for the first time this month so we decided to take them all to our volunteer house for a swimming! We told them to get them self ready after lunch so the mini bus driver can bring them to our place. They were all excited, they came to our place around 2pm with bikinis on and jumped into the pool straight away!!!

Next morning, we started early and as we were already in the park, weve thought we have got advantage but unfortunately it was foggy and raining... We saw giraffes quite close but couldnt meet a lion nor leopard. Well, its not a zoo so I guess I have to come back again another time! We came out the park before a lunch and headed to St Lucia lake. We went to the seaside beach for a little walk too then got on to the boat trip. St Lucia is a freshwater lake but it hasnt been connected with a sea for few month so at the moment there are no sea water contains in the lake. You will find lots of Hippos here, they are in the water so not able to see the whole but as they can run 24km/hr, its better that they stay in the water for us... There are few crocodiles too and you can spot it in your eyes. Everybody went upstairs of the boat but as it was quite hot, I stayed down stairs, having a relaxed moment. Well, I was too relaxed and couldnt stop sleeping for a while in the chair...

In nature, you dont have a time tabel to follow, so what you do is to follow the nature. The animals dont do much during the day as it is so hot and they will just loose their energy. Specially if you want to see something like a lion or leopard, you get up very early and try find them before they find a place to have a looooong siesta. We all got ready for 6:30 start but because it was a long WE (Bank holiday Monday), there were long queue for the ticket office. We finally got in around 7am, tried to avoid a cloud and drove to the end of the park. However, we couldnt go so fast as we were bumping into so many animals!!! We saw a group of buffalo in a distance, then bumping into an Elephant on the road, Zebra after next corner, sleeping Rino just 2ms away... it was a good weather and we were lucky too, I think, we saw three of the Big Five (Elephant, Rino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard) in the first 10 mins.

Now, its a WE again, chop-chop! This time, we went to Hluhluwe Wild Park. It is a game drive in over 100Km wide area. Two South African guys were our driver and a guide. We have been picked up from our project then they drove us to the park. It was 3.5 hrs flat road drive so nothing for us compared to the last WE!! The area is famous for a pineapple so the guide guy bought a bunch of pineapple from the lady who were selling it on the side of the road.

This morning, we were all in Agape as we slept over there so we went back to the house with a mini bus before it send children to the schools. My girl was sitting in the passenger sheet with me then she asked me Did you read your letter? I didnt know what she means so I said ?I didnt receive any letter. Then she told me Its in your bag. I searched my bag and I found a little paper which has been fold into a triangle. I told her Ill read it when I go back to the house.

Today, we have planned a big thing, we are all sleeping at Agape with children! Because our volunteer house is not close to Agape, we dont know how children are spending a time after a homework class. We had usual morning with creche kids, went back to have a lunch break and get all the stuffs, came back with blankets and pillows and all the school kids were waiting for us. They dont have volunteers sleep over at their place very often so the manager of Agape said they were so excited. Children choose a volunteer who they want to sleep in their room and I have been chosen by a girl I always do a math together at the homework class. I really love her and wanted to take her back home from day 1 but she doesnt come to talk to me normally so I didnt think she will choose me so it was very nice surprise.

Today, we went to see a village surrounding Agape, specially a community of a local people. Most of the children stays in Agape all the time but we gets lots of day care creche children too. They all walk to Agape from the village nearby but we didnt know where they live. The volunteer house is in the middle of the white community so there are lots of big houses but local village was similar to the township. Small block of houses, grow your own veg in the garden to survive. We visited day care centre too. It is for young ones who are looking for a job, socialise, skill work shops. Very nice centre but people have to walk to get there and they all live quite far. We had a drive around the area. There were a lake and a huge dam which provides a water for the area. Beautiful place. Absolutely beautiful country.   
 

After our long WE trip, we didnt plan anything special today. We just went back to Agape and played with all the kids, came back for a homework class, then went out for KFC!!! Im not really fun of a fast food but we were so tired so gave ourselves a rest. But the one of the girl had a collapses with this, she said she cant digest fat very well and never had KFC in her life but wanted to try. She couldnt walk as so weak so we got taxi back home. She had swollen feet and hands in the night, it sounds like an allergic reaction. It didnt get worse and calmed down in the morning so we didnt go to the hospital but very close.